Sun Kissed
by katieupatree
Summary: Castle and Beckett are spending the weekend in The Hamptons; the perfect opportunity to go on their first real date. A chance to simply exist together, hopelessly in love and tingled with the thrills of romance. Set season five, but doesn't contain any specific episode spoilers.
1. One

Hello everyone.  
This is just a little season five fluff, set to the theme of Castle and Beckett's first date.

**Disclaimer: **Everything and everyone belongs to their rightful owners, I am only borrowing them.

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**Sun Kissed  
Part One**

In the weeks that they had been together, their lives had transformed into a beautiful mess of pancakes for two and lust stained kisses; a secret love affair that filled their days and nights with magic.  
And on that sultry September night, it felt to Castle as if the entire world was alight with that love, a night existing for him and Beckett alone. Because there he was, after four years of shattered hearts and broken dreams, finally able to experience the wonders of taking the women he so desperately loved on their first date.

They were staying at Castle's beach house for the weekend. The masses who escaped to The Hamptons for the summer had piled into their people carriers and open topped cars and returned to the city weeks before, leaving the blissful reverie of roaring waves and sun-licked sand free for Castle and Beckett to enjoy without the threat of having their relationship discovered. A chance to get away from the prying eyes of journalists and camera phones, to escape the strain of keeping their relationship a secret from friends and family; to simply exist together, hopelessly in love and tingled with the thrills of romance.  
And this, their first night of unveiled love and free-spirited abandon, promised to be all that they had ever dared to dream.

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He had been so engrossed in his latest update of Angry Birds that he hadn't heard Beckett walk through from the bedroom, bare feet padding so gently across the wooden floors that it wasn't until her words fluttered through the cool air that he turned to find her leaning against the open frame of the kitchen door.

"_What do you think?"_

Watching as she walked her way towards him, Castle tried to find the words to answer her question, but none seemed quite enough. The bashful smile with which she met him had stolen his thoughts and brought a shiver to his spine, a breathtaking flash of timidness that he had never expected to see from his very own detective; cheeks awash with pink and eyes searching his own.  
In that moment, the heart beat between her words and his hands reaching out to soothe away the doubts that lingered there, he fell in love with her all over again; head-over-heels for a tiny glimmer of the Kate he had yet to meet, shy and little unsure of herself, somehow still blind to the beauty that she held.

Lips trailing the warm blush of her cheeks, Castle whispered his reply between softly peppered kisses; each syllable reverberating between them as hands roamed and lips searched for the truths that words alone couldn't convey.

"_You – Kate Beckett – are – lovely – beautiful – wonderful – exquisite – ravishing – enchanting – thrilling – sexy – and – loved."_

He hadn't wanted to stop; never wanted to, could have lived an entire lifetime through kisses and compliments that made her blush a little more with each one that met her skin with quivering lips, would have invented words just for the two of them; for their love and her beauty. Longed to run his hands through the curls of hair that were swept elegantly across her shoulders, to peel away the silken material of her dress, to touch, to caress, to love every delicate inch of her body; to show her just how beautiful she was to him.  
But he had to stop, no matter how impossible it had seemed; they still had an entire night awaiting them, a night that they had both waited too long for to miss out on. So, with one last ghosting kiss to see them through the night, Castle took her hand in his own and led them into a world unlike any they had ever experienced before.

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To be continued..

Please let me know what you thought?  
Good or bad, any feedback at all is greatly appreciated.

Thank you for reading,  
Katie

Twitter: katieupatree


	2. Two

I just wanted to say thank you for all the support that you have shown my little story. It really does mean so much.  
I hope that you enjoy chapter two..

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**Part Two**

They found themselves fallen into a strange and ethereal world that felt completely new and utterly familiar all at the same time. The electric buzz of anticipation thick in the air, nerves transformed to expectations as Castle held open the door to the restaurant; the gentle curve of her body pressed close to his own and the twilight alive with their shared wishes for the night that they had both waited such a very long time to experience.

Their conversation melded effortlessly with the easy chatter that filled the little beachside restaurant that had been a favourite of Castles for longer than he could remember, the carefree laughter and silly flirtation of two people who knew each other better than they did themselves fluttering between them as if nothing had changed. And yet, everything was so beautifully different to how it used to be; the soft brush of her skin against his own and the sloppy kisses stolen between sips of wine a thrilling reminder of the love that was undeniable to anyone who glanced their way.  
He had imagined this moment so many times since stumbling into the life of Kate Beckett; had dreamt of it, longed for it with ever molecule of his being, but nothing could compare to the reality. Every second a perfect moment in time; fleeting and barely there at all, captured by his heart, his memories, and tucked safely away to be told as stories in the years to come.

He loves that he is allowed to watch her now, to gently nudge the last mouthfuls of lemon cheesecake towards her and settle against the warm wooden back of his chair as she finishes eating without a care in the world.  
A little while ago she would have shied away from his eyes; feared the love that she found reflected within them, squirmed and wriggled and distracted his attention somewhere else as quickly as she possibly could. But now all of that is gone; the terror and the hiding replaced with bright smiles that say he is allowed to watch, allowed to study every movement, every thought, every flicker of light that dances over her satin skin. And he does, he watches because he loves her, _all of her, _and every day he learns something new, something more, something once hidden behind walls that he has patiently helped her to bring down.

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It's later now, much later, and the doors to the restaurant have been flung open, its ornately tiled floors and the crystal white sand of the beach melded together like the couples who dance across them; this quirky little corner of the world still every ounce as wonderful as Castle remembered it to be, even better now that he is able to share it with Kate.

Sitting with her cuddled close to his side, head woozy with love and cherry wine, he dips his lips to the soft curve of her neck before asking the question that has always haunted his dreams of this night,

"_Dance with me?"_

Her reply is an echo of his question; laden with lust and hazy with tipsy midnight promises,

"_Lead the way."_

Taking Kate's hand once more in his own, Castle pulls her effortlessly to her feet and walks them through the maze of sun kissed lovers who have come to dance beneath the moonlight.  
Reaching an open space on the dance floor, she kisses him with lips that still taste of crumbling biscuits and sharp lemon sauce, the room around them disappearing as they dance to the music that plays in time to the drumming beat of their hearts.

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Castle doesn't know how long they have been dancing; it feels like it could have been minutes, or hours, or entire lifetimes for all he knows. Not that it matters, not when he is so completely taken over by the magic of the music and flickering lights, the tight grip of warm hands and the ghost of her hair as they spin and twirl and kiss under the blanket of glimmering stars that shine high above them.

He knows that he is watching her again, entranced by all that she is and all that she does; but he can't bear to look away. He wants to remember Kate exactly as she is now; to remember the freedom with which she dances, head thrown back and girlish laughter escaping at each unexpected turn, beautiful and pure. To know that no matter what happens in the future, they had this night; their perfect night of hopes and dreams.  
A night that had only just begun.

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To be continued..

If you have a moment to do so, please leave a review.  
I would love to know what you think?

Thank you for reading,  
Katie


	3. Three

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has added my little story to their follows. I woke up this morning with more fanfic emails than I have ever had in my life, and it just means so much to know that you are enjoying reading this as much as I am writing it. So I thank you all - very, very much.

I hope that this chapter doesn't disappoint..

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**Part Three**

They are among the last to leave the restaurant, bidding their breathless goodbyes as the final notes of music float out across the beach and heading into the night with arms slung haphazardly around each other.  
The midnight air is a welcomed contrast to the dizzying heat of the dance floor; crisp and deliciously cold as they walk back along the pebbled sand. But as they reach the clearing that will lead them up to his beach house, neither is quite ready to say goodbye to the night; and so instead they carry on towards the sea, free and alive and giggling with hands still held tight.

They fall into one another as they reach the shore line, limbs heavy with wine and drunk off of each other's laughter. Her skin is clammy and salt licked as she presses her body dangerously close to his own, hands fisted in his shirt and lips peppering their way along his jaw line; taunting, teasing, kissing him with the messy lust of teenage dreams. God, he loves her.

And then she's pulling away, kicking off her heels and running to the very edge of the waves. He sees flashes of the girl he never had the honour of meeting; long ago imaginings of Katie Beckett, young and free and filled with innocence, sees her twirling along the beach with her Mum and Dad, sandcastles and ice-cream her only concern in the world. And he sees her now, in this moment, and he never wants to leave; because she's perfect, and happy, and calling out for him to play in the sea with her at a quarter past one in the morning.  
But he can't run over and join her, not yet. Right now he can't do anything but stand back and soak in every detail of her, feeling more than a little dumbstruck and utterly overwhelmed in the most wonderful of ways. Because he has imagined this night so many times, filled pages with sprawling dreams of the Kate he had always hoped to uncover; fairy stories of this Kate, _his Kate_, light and cut loose and unaffected by the horrors of her past. And now he's there, living within those dreams, and they are so much more than he could have ever imagined.

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He's brought out of his reverie by the steady rhythm of her bounding towards him, feet kicking up the spray of the ocean and legs impossibly long as she holds her dress just shy of the waves that crash and splutter across her path. She's back by his side in seconds, eyes bright and cheeks rosy as she leans up to quickly kiss his smiling lips, smirking as she sinks her feet into the sand and looks up at him expectantly.

"_Yes?"_

She giggles, caught out and a little in awe of how well he knows her. _"You've got to stop looking at me like that."_

"_Like what?" _he asks, his features a mirror of his own.

"_Like I'm about to disappear." _she replies, simple and honest.

"_Sometimes I think that you might." _No, that's not what he meant. At least, not really. For a man famous for his words, he really is a tongue tied fool where Kate Beckett is concerned. It wasn't supposed to be a criticism, quite the opposite in fact. He had meant to tell her of his dreams, his longings, his years spent wishing to be a part of her life; to say that this was a night of ethereal realities, everything that he had ever wanted and all that he now has somehow perfectly knitted together in a single, wondrous evening.

But, as Castle looks into her eyes; eyes of deepest brown and emerald green, eyes that hold the truth, he finds not hurt or anger, but rather understanding. She's not scared of his words, not running away or pretending that the truth stood stark and stunned between them doesn't exist; she's with him, every step of the way.  
Her palms are soft and warm against his cheeks, fingertips gentle as they soothe away the weary creases of his eyes, stealing his thoughts and grounding the almost painful whirl of his mind. She's saving him.

"_Sshhh, silly man. You don't have to worry; I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to be right by your side, always." _And then she's kissing him, strong and deliberate, anchoring them both to this moment in time. The very moment that she has been waiting for, the perfect moment to speak aloud the words that have been beating proudly in her heart for longer than he will ever know, _"I love you, Rick."_

He can't control the smile that erupts through their kisses, a spluttered response of laughter and perhaps even a few tears. _"I love you, too"_

The world is forgotten as they break apart, lungs crying out for oxygen and hands that quiver as Kate laces her fingers through his. Laughing with her head thrown back and running fast into the crest of the waves as they wrap themselves around her waist, ivory skin illuminated by the moonlight and eyes hooded with lust and desire. Glancing back as if to make sure that he is keeping up with her this time, pulling them into a lifetime of sun kissed dreams.

**End.**

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There we have it :)  
I hope that you liked that last chapter?  
If you have a moment to do so, please let me know what you thought.

Thank you ever so much for reading,  
Katie

xx


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